


X is for Xenophobia

by Jazzie



Series: A to Z of Danny Whump! [24]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2017-09-02
Packaged: 2018-12-22 23:55:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11977770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jazzie/pseuds/Jazzie
Summary: Danny and Steve butt heads, sending them separate ways, both devastated by the words they said, that can't be unspoken.  The resulting consequences are devastating to the ohana.





	1. Chapter 1

It was 8:00 PM on a Wednesday night and it said a lot to Danny Williams about his life that he was still at work.  A gang involved in arms dealing had been on 5-0’s radar for several weeks but they’d yet to get any definitive information about any deals taking place.  That had changed when an informant for one of the detectives called her to tell her about a buy happening that night at an abandoned warehouse.

A call had been made to Steve and nobody went home.  Plans needed to be made so the team, along with HPD and SWAT had gathered to view blueprints of the building in question and a map of the area.  Part of Danny was proud of his Neanderthal Navy Super SEAL partner; the man was making plans, involving other departments, asking for back up and others opinions.  Another part of Danny knew that man plans and God laughs, they could make as many plans as they liked and it could all go to hell, but since he was always yelling at Steve about not waiting for back up, he’d go with the proud feeling and then roll with the punches when the time came.

The deal was due to happen at 9:00 PM and they were on their way to the location that they’d been given so they could get in place, hopefully without being seen.

“Why is it always warehouses?” Danny asked suddenly.

“What?” The car had been silent up until that moment and Steve hadn’t really been paying attention to his partner, concentrating on driving.

“Why do raids always seem to be at warehouses?  I mean can’t these people find somewhere more original?”

Steve was puzzled by this conversation but he’d go with it, as he did on so many occasions when it came to his partner, “It’s always warehouses because they have the space and normally nobody takes any notice of the comings and goings at industrial sites.”  
“We take notice, as in the police,” pointed out Danny.

“Only if we suspect something is going on.  We can’t watch all of the warehouses on Oahu, Danny.”

“OK, alright, you may have a point.”

“I do?  You’re agreeing with me?” Steve glanced over at his partner before looking back to the road.

“But… just once it would be nice if the bad guys did their business in a house!” Danny ignored Steve’s comment.

“What difference does it make?”

“I’d just like a change from dingy, dusty warehouses, that’s all.”

“Well this one is different…”

“How?  How is this different Steven?”

“It’s abandoned,” Steve pointed out helpfully.

“Oh yeah, ‘cos that is soooo much better!”

“Less likely to get innocent bystanders getting in the way.”

“That’s true,” Danny cocked his head to one side thoughtfully.

“Danno, are you alright?” Steve was a little concerned; this wasn’t one of his partner’s usual pre-raid rants.

“Yeah, I’m fine.  Just, you know, considering why the criminals do the things they do where they do them,” he shrugged dismissively.

“Oookay then,” Steve decided not to pursue it any further.  The remainder of the journey passed in silence.

They pulled up to the rendezvous point, another warehouse, and pulled inside the cavernous building.  HPD had secured use of it so that the vehicles could be hidden from sight, the teams would then go the rest of the way on foot.  Due to the area that the warehouse they were targeting was in, they would need to be careful that their approach wasn’t noticed.

According to the satellite images of the area, the lone building sat on a large lot surrounded by asphalt, the strange thing about this one was the fact that it sat in a clearing within a small wooded area. This made Danny wonder if the warehouse had been built specifically for nefarious activities to take place.  He was used to the warehouses being down on the docks, not in the middle of a mini forest.

The teams gathered at their rendezvous and once everyone was present Steve called them to him.

“Alright, you all know where you need to be.  Once in place each team needs to check in and then we’ll maintain radio silence until we enter the building,” this was Steve’s show and he was leaving nobody in doubt of that, “We only enter on my command.  Is that clear?”  A chorus of yeah, yes and sir’s were heard before he continued, “That said, use your common sense, you know your jobs, trust your instincts and be careful.  We move out in five!”

The group split up and the sound of last minute weapons checks rang through the building.

“Nice pep talk.”

“So glad you approved Danno,” Steve rolled his eyes.

“It’s good to see you playing nicely with the other children,” responded Danny with a grin.

“You’ll keep,” growled Steve good naturedly, “You ready?” he turned to their two team mates, looking them over to make sure they’d put on their vests.

“Yes boss,” Kono finished doing her final checks.

“Good to go,” replied Chin, trusty shotgun in hand.

“Alright, let’s do this,” they broke up and went to their separate teams.  It had been agreed that each member of 5-0 would lead a team that would have two SWAT and two HPD officers.

Danny greeted the others on his team, which consisted of Officers Ani Kale and Kai Kealoha from HPD with Officers Troy Davis and James Wong from SWAT.  He had worked with Ani, Kai and Troy before, the only unknown to him was James Wong, but he looked capable and he had to be a damn good cop to get into SWAT.

“Let’s move out,” Danny stated as he left through the back of the warehouse, crossed the parking lot and stepped through the fence where it had been cut away, so they could gain access to the small forest that it backed on to.  The other four followed quietly, making their way through the trees until ten minutes later they just caught sight of the lights emanating from the other warehouse.  Danny held up his hand to stop the others and signalled for them to stay put.  He moved forward slowly, watching for any signs that there were any hostiles in the trees to guard the warehouse they were targeting.

Danny snorted to himself, _‘I can’t believe I just used the word hostiles in my head, I’ve been spending too much time round McGarrett!’_

He assessed the best way to get across the open area to the door that they were to use to enter.  At the moment their best bet was to make a run for it when the time came, because honestly, there was nowhere to hide.  Danny was a bit surprised that there was no guard on the door but perhaps because the location was a little more remote than the norm and was well hidden, their dealers weren’t worried about discovery.  That confidence would be their undoing, well Danny hoped so anyway.  Turning back, happy that there were no guards lurking in the trees around where they were to wait for the ‘go’, he gathered the rest of his team and brought them to the last line of trees to wait.

“Team 1, in place, other teams report,” Steve’s voice came over the radio.

“Team 2, in place,” reported Danny.

“Team 3, in place,” that was Chin.

“Team 4, in place,” Kono was the last to respond.

“Copy, radio silence until I give the command to breach.”

Danny rolled his eyes at the SEAL’s words, even if his partner couldn’t see him, he knew damn well that Steve would be in full Super SEAL mode.  He gave his team the once over, making sure they were ready to go, vests in place and weapons ready.  Satisfied, he turned back to watch the warehouse and wait for Steve’s order.  Although he couldn’t see the front of the building and therefore wouldn’t be able to see when the buyers arrived, the night was quiet except for the odd noise coming from within the forest as a night creature moved through it, which meant he heard the vehicles coming down the rough road that led into the area.  Knowing the order would come over the radio soon, he glanced at his team once more and changed his stance slightly.  He didn’t have to wait long.

“Go, go, go!” Steve’s order came over the radio and they were up and moving.

When he reached the door to the warehouse and turned the handle he was extremely relieved when it opened, they’d known there was a possibility it might be locked and had discussed the idea of someone checking it before the raid started but the chance of discovery was too great, so they took a chance.  For once Danny’s luck was in.  Standing to one side of the door, he signalled for James to open it, keeping low he ducked inside the building, closely followed by Kai, once they entered without incident the others followed. 

The back door entered into a small storage space which was currently empty, the door to the main room stood open and Danny could see rows of rack shelving with various boxes stacked on them, at the front of the warehouse he could just make out a truck which was loaded with crates, which he assumed to be the weapons.  Standing around the truck were six men all armed to the teeth, somehow Danny didn’t think this would be one of those situations where no shots were fired.  His fears were confirmed as gunfire broke out at the front of the building and the six men all ran for cover.

Leading his team through the empty room, Danny slid through into the main part of the building unnoticed and signalled for Troy and James to go to the right, while he, Kai and Ani moved down the center.  Chin was entering from the left so he knew that side was covered.  Kono’s team were responsible for corralling anyone that tried to make good their escape and had moved into position outside to cover the vehicles.

Using the shelves for cover the three moved slowly forward, careful not to give away their positions until they had clear sight of the criminals in the building.  Finally reaching the end of the shelving, Danny pointed to where he wanted Kai and Ani before making his way to where he had a good view of the action. 

Steve and his team were currently pinned down at the front of the truck, which they were using for cover.  In Danny’s opinion it was inadequate and his partner needed some help, which he gladly gave.

“5-0, drop your weapons!” he yelled over the sound of gunfire, none of which was currently coming from any of the teams.

There was a momentary lull in the volley of bullets being fired in Steve’s direction, but it was only long enough for the gang members and buyers to divide their attention between the new threat and the original.

“Really Danny?” Steve’s voice came through in his ear.

“What?  It was worth a try!” Danny responded, shrugging philosophically before returning fire.  Troy and James popped up from his right and Chin with his team on his left.  It wasn’t long before Steve’s team were no longer unable to return fire since the criminal element now had to divide their attention four ways.

Thousands of bullets later, Danny could have been exaggerating thinking that, but with Super SEAL present, maybe not so much, they had twelve gang members and three buyers in custody.  There had been no injuries to the arresting teams but the bad guys hadn’t been so lucky and there were three with gunshot wounds that would need medical attention.

Everyone gathered outside the warehouse while they waited for transport to come and get the prisoners and then the crime scene team would need to be called in.  Danny really didn’t envy them.  As he stood on the outskirts of the group watching, he felt that something wasn’t right, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.  The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up.

The detective had learnt over the years not to ignore these instincts, so he turned back to the warehouse and re-entered searching the area a final time.  He knew they’d cleared the place and didn’t bother telling anyone, besides he didn’t want his ‘feeling’ to be summarily dismissed.  Once he had a concrete reason for it, then he’d let the team know.  Walking through the now quiet building he could tell something was off, that there was something different from when he’d originally entered the place.  Unconsciously he placed his hand on his weapon at his hip as he methodically went up and down each aisle created by the shelving.  At the start of the fourth row he found what was different, though how he’d sensed it he had no idea, there was a hole in the floor that hadn’t been there before.

He approached it cautiously, weapon drawn.  Looking into what was clearly a tunnel under the warehouse that had been covered by a hidden trapdoor.  Danny swore.

“Steve!” he called into his mic as he moved towards the back of the building, the direction that the tunnel ran.  No way was he getting into a tunnel that was only big enough to crawl through, but he’d bet his pay check that whoever had gone down there hadn’t hung around and was now somewhere out the back.

“Danny?” Steve replied, surprised to hear his partner’s voice over the radio given he’d seen him standing with the group a short time ago.  Chin and Kono heard as well and looked around for him.

“There’s a damn trapdoor in the floor of the warehouse with a tunnel that leads underneath and out the back, its open…”

“Copy that, on our way,” Steve replied all business, “Kono, take Ani and Kai, go into the warehouse, make sure nobody comes out of the tunnel.  Chin, with me.”

Steve and Chin set off at a run round the side of the building, scanning the area constantly looking for anyone who might have escaped.

Once Danny had Steve’s attention he moved through the warehouse to the back door at a run.  Whoever had exited through the tunnel couldn’t have left that long ago, exiting the back door he scanned the tree lines and saw movement.

“Suspect heading into the trees,” he stated into his radio as he followed.

“Right behind you Danny,” responded Steve as he came round the corner of the warehouse, seeing his partner just reaching the treeline.

Danny was extremely aware of the dangers of entering the trees to follow a suspect when you didn’t even know what weapons they might be carrying, what he hadn’t expected was, as he ran into the first line of trees, to be clotheslined by an arm belonging to said suspect.

Whoever the guy was, and it had to be a guy because no woman had arms that hairy, Danny had got an up close and personal look at it after all, had arms that were pure muscle and it struck him in the front just where his neck met his collarbone.  Danny lay on the ground gasping for breath like a fish out of water and staring at the man standing above him; ready, no doubt, to finish him off.  Danny was unable to move stunned and out of breath as he was.

“Danny!” Steve shouted as he saw his partner go down.

The suspect had just reached into his waistband and pulled a vicious looking knife out when Steve shouted and the man clearly decided that discretion was the better part of valour, he ran into the trees.

Steve and Chin stopped next to their fallen team mate, “Danny?”

“Go… I’m fine!” Danny waved in the direction the man had gone.

“I’m not leaving you,” Steve growled, “Chin get everyone out here, I want this area searched.”

“You’re wasting time,” stated Danny, finally able to catch a breath.

“No Danny!”

“For fuck sake Steven!” he would have yelled if his throat and chest didn’t hurt from the impact of the suspect’s arm, “I’m fine!”

Steve totally ignored Danny, “Get the EMTs here.”

“I don’t need…” he started and tried to sit up only to be cut off and pushed back to the ground.

“Danny you just got hit in the throat, you’re being checked out so stay down!”

“He hit me in the chest!”

“I saw it happen, it was your throat!” insisted the SEAL.

“Were you as close to his arm as I was, ‘cos if you were I certainly didn’t see you!” bit back Danny, “It was my chest!”

“I’m in charge and I say you get checked out, end of story!” Steve pulled out the boss card, probably for the first time since they’d become partners.

That caused Danny to glare at him, if that’s the way that McGarrett wanted to play it, then fine, that was the way he could have it, “Yes Sir, Commander McGarrett.”

Chin shifted uncomfortably next to the two men, “EMTs are on their way Steve.  I’m going to co-ordinate the search,” he made a hasty retreat.  There had been an undercurrent as Danny spoke that he hadn’t liked, something that wasn’t normally there that the older man couldn’t put a name to, and if he was honest he wasn’t sure he wanted to.

Steve stayed by Danny’s side until the EMTs arrived and then moved out of their way, going to speak to Chin and Kono about the search for their missing suspect.

“Hey Danny,” Andy greeted the detective, “What happened?”

“Got clotheslined!”

“Ouch!  OK, let’s get you checked out.  Any pain in your neck, did you hit your head?”

“No and no.”

“Any trouble breathing?” asked Jake placing a blood pressure cuff round his patient’s arm.

“A little at first,” he replied honestly, none of this was the EMTs fault so he’d answer them even if he was angry with his partner, “Just kinda took me by surprise you know.”

“I’m sure,” Andy nodded, “Can you show me where he caught you?”

Danny indicated the point of impact and continued to placidly allow the EMTs to do their job, answering each of their questions and letting them check his vitals, responses and the area he’d been struck.

“Well Danny, you’re gonna have a big ole bruise across the top of your chest and the base of your throat but there’s no swelling in your throat and nothing appears broken,” Andy told him, “All your vitals are good.”

“I’m free to go then?”

“Yeah, just take some ibuprofen to help with any inflammation that we can’t see and Tylenol if you experience any pain.  If you start to have any trouble breathing or chest pains then go to the ER,” Jake advised.

“Will do, thanks guys,” he got to his feet and shook both their hands.  The EMTs returned to their ambulance, speaking to Steve briefly on the way.

Danny shook his head, there was a tight knot in his chest and it had absolutely nothing to do with the bruise he’d be sporting there.  Walking across to where Steve, Chin and Kono were talking, he spoke to Steve, “What would you like me to do now Commander McGarrett?”

Steve’s eyebrows shot up, while Kono glanced at her cousin who just shook his head and gave her an ‘I’ll tell you later’ look.  “Danny look…”

“Anything you need me to do or should I head back to the office to start on my report, Commander?”  Danny wasn’t in the mood for anything he had to say right now.

“Chin and I will stay here and keep co-ordinating the search, why don’t you and Kono head back to the Palace and get started on your reports.  If you got a good look at the guy that hit you, perhaps you could find him in the pictures of the guys we identified and put out a BOLO, just in case he’s got passed HPD already.”

It was all Danny could do not to comment on how the SEAL had let him get away, if he’d gone after him instead of staying with Danny, then he probably would have found the suspect.  Yes, checking on your partner was damned important, he’d have done the same, but he would also have listened if that partner told him he was fine and encouraged him to go after the suspect, especially given there were other officers nearby that could have tended to him while Steve and Chin carried on.  They were only a radio call away.

“Come on Kono,” Danny turned and started to walk back towards the warehouse where they’d left the vehicles.

Kono looked at Chin and he shrugged as he watched Danny walk one way and Steve the other, “Danny’s mad at Steve.”

“Why?”

“Because Steve stopped to check on him and then refused to leave him to go after the suspect when Danny told him he was alright.  Steve pulled the ‘I’m in charge’ card to get him to stay down until he could be checked out.”

“Oh no Cuz, that’s not good!  I mean I get why Steve stopped to check on Danny and I’m not really sure why he’s mad about that, but to pull the boss card!”

“Yeah, look, I’ll keep an eye on Steve; you keep an eye on Danny.  Hopefully we can figure out a way to fix this!”

“Kono!” Danny called out impatiently.

“Gotta go.  Catch you later Cuz,” Kono hurried after Danny and Chin followed Steve.

 

 

-5-0-

 

 

When Danny and Kono got back to the Palace they went to their separate offices, not saying a word.  Kono didn’t want to have her head taken off by the clearly still angry detective and Danny didn’t want to take his frustration and anger out on the rookie.

Sitting at his desk, Danny ran his hands back over his hair and blew out a huff of air, shaking his head.  Turning to his computer he then opened up some files and started to look through the pictures they had of the people they’d identified from surveillance footage that were involved in the gang, hoping to find a picture and a name to be able to put out a BOLO.  Finally he found the man, his name was Dieter Davidson or Double D to his gang friends.

“Kono!” he called for his team mate.

“Yeah Danny?” she asked as she hurried into his office.

“That’s the guy that hit me; can you get this put out on a BOLO for me please?  He was wearing tan cargo pants and a black t-shirt, no logo.  He has a tattoo on his right bicep of a three headed dragon breathing flames.”

“No problem, I’ll get on it now,” Kono paused as she went to leave his office, “Danny…”

“Hmmm?” his response was distracted as he had started to pull up the documents required to complete his paperwork.

“Are you alright?”

The detective looked up at the concern in her voice, “Yeah Kono, I’m fine.  EMTs checked me out, bruised but fine,” he gave her a reassuring smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“That’s not what I meant… Never mind,” she turned to leave.

“Kono, what’s on your mind?  Just spit it out!”

“You called Steve ‘Commander’; I’ve never heard you speak to him that way.  I’m just,” she shrugged, trying not to make her friend angry, “Worried, I guess.”

“Look Kono, whatever goes on between me and McGarrett is just that, between us.  Don’t worry, we’ll sort it out,” he told her, while thinking to himself _‘eventually.’_

“That’s just it Danny, it may be between you and Steve, but it affects all of us,” she fidgeted, not sure how he’d react.

“It’ll be alright Kono, go on, go put out the BOLO for me,” he tried to reassure her but knew from the slump of her shoulders that he’d failed.  It probably hadn’t helped that he’d referred to their boss as McGarrett.  He knew she was right, he would need to try to sort out his anger at the SEAL or it would affect the team.  It would affect Grace too, she loved Steve and her Danno being mad at her Uncle would make things hard for her.  He’d just about decided that he needed to let it go, when the man himself walked back into the offices talking to Chin.  He got up and went to his office door about to ask Steve for a word but stood listening to what he was saying first; unfortunately it made Danny mad all over again.

“I can’t believe Davidson got away!” Steve growled, “All those bloody police officers in those trees and we couldn’t locate him!  We’re going to look so incompetent.  Over twenty officers couldn’t find one fucking man in a small patch of trees!”

Danny didn’t know why, but it was like someone had ignited the fuse once again and he stepped out of his office and in front of Steve, getting into the SEAL’s personal space, which he knew the other man hated.

“The reason, Commander McGarrett, we’re gonna look incompetent, is because _you_ didn’t listen to your partner when he told you to go after the guy!  Had you listened then you would have been right behind him!”

“What the hell Danny?  You were down, so I stopped to check on you!” Steve defended himself, taking a small step back from the smaller man who suddenly seemed much larger than normal in his anger.

“Yes, I was and you did.  Then I told you I was fine and to go after him!”

“Oh right, I’m just supposed to believe that when I know you’d tell me you were fine if you had a hole in you somewhere!”

“Firstly, if I’d had a hole in me then you’d have seen blood, was there any blood?  No!  Secondly, there were over twenty other personnel on scene, all it would have taken was a call over the radio and I would have had more help than you could shake a stick at!”

“Shake a stick at?” Steve didn’t really know what else to say, because his partner was right.

“Seriously?  Out of those sentences, that’s what you pick up on?  Are you for real?”

Kono and Chin were standing together near the computer table watching the train wreck in front of them, not sure how to stop it or even if they should try.  Taking a deep breath Chin decided he needed to at least make an attempt to calm the situation.

“Danny…”

“No Chin!” he was cut off by Danny before he could say anything else, “Commander McGarrett has been overprotective of me for too long now!  It cost us one of the gang members and from what I saw he was one of the lieutenants.  I thought that he was just low level muscle but when I looked into the files all the lieutenants have a three headed dragon on their bicep.  Guess what was on Davidson’s bicep, Commander?  We all know that the whole gang are nasty but those lieutenants are vicious, with no thought to innocent bystanders, including children!”

“Danny, I wasn’t being overprotective!  You were lying on the ground gasping!”

“Because I’d just been hit in the chest!  Not because I was dying!  I wasn’t in any danger from another attack and back up wasn’t even a minute away!”

“I didn’t know you weren’t dying Danny!  For fuck sake, you were struggling to speak.  I saw his arm strike you in the throat, if that had been hard enough it could crush your windpipe or even break your neck!” Steve was getting angry now as well.

“Well clearly my neck wasn’t broken and my windpipe was fine, since I was _talking_!  You let a suspect get away, now you have to deal with the consequences!”  Danny’s hands were flying in the space between the two men, who ordinarily considered themselves brothers.

“I’d rather deal with the consequences of a suspect on the loose than a _dead_ partner!”

“I would rather be dead than know that there is a man out there who has no qualms about hurting children in his quest to become part of a gang that dominates the arms trade!”

Chin and Kono gasped at that, Steve looked dumbfounded.  How could he say he’d rather be dead?  What the hell was going on here?  Their team was unravelling and nobody knew how to fix it.

“I can’t believe you just said that!” Steve told his partner.

“That gang has killed children with their weapons.  I have a child.  I can’t imagine losing her because a police officer didn’t do everything in his power to stop those responsible for dealing in those weapons!”  Danny’s voice was quieter now.

“So what you’re saying is that if someone gets killed because I let this guy get away, then it’s my fault?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m saying, Commander!”

“I’ll leave you to die in the future then!” the words were out before Steve could stop them.  It didn’t matter that Danny hadn’t actually been dying, it was an awful thing to say but Danny’s words had cut Steve as effectively as a knife.  Clenching his fists by his sides, desperately trying to avoid punching the man he had loved like a brother, Steve walked away and quietly closed his office door.  How could Danny say that to him?  After all the things Steve has done to keep this island and the people living there safe, after all the things he’s had to sacrifice.

“Danny!  Steve!” Chin admonished as their boss walked away.

“Oh my god!” Kono exclaimed.  She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard; her eyes were actually filled with tears, her two brothers arguing to the point where they’d said awful things to one another.

The moment he said it Danny knew it was wrong but being so angry meant he just couldn’t back down and he just ploughed on until Steve wanted to take his head off.  Not exactly the smartest thing to do but then to hear the man he had loved as a brother say he’d leave him to die...  He had to get out of there, like right now!  Without a word he walked out of the offices.

“Chin…”

“I know Cuz,” he pulled Kono into a tight embrace as he looked between where Danny had just walked out and where Steve was pacing his office, this time he didn’t think even his calm voice of reason would repair the damage.

 

 

-5-0-

 

 

Steve kept pacing his office wondering how he could have let things spiral so far out of control.  He was the head of the unit and it was his job to keep the team together.  He and Danny had effectively torn a hole right through the middle of it.  Could it be fixed?  One thing was for sure, he was tracking down the scumbag that had clotheslined Danny and putting him in a cell… Tonight.  Decision made, Steve entered back into the main office.

“Kono, any hits on that BOLO?” he asked, voice steely with determination.

“Er, let me check,” she replied, voice wobbling from emotion.

“Chin, we need to find this guy.”

“We will Steve,” the older man reassured him.

“No hits on the BOLO boss,” Kono informed him, “But HPD are checking all his known hang outs and tracking down known associates.”

“Right, let’s start helping them with that,” Steve ordered, “Kono get a list of places HPD still need to check, Chin and I will hit the streets, you stay here to co-ordinate.  I don’t want one single place he’s been or person he knows left unchecked.”

“Yes boss.”

“Come on Chin,” Steve started to stride out of the office.

“It’ll be alright Cuz,” Chin squeezed Kono’s arm, trying to convince himself as much as her and then hurried after Steve.

It took hours of searching different places on the island.  All ways off the island had been cut off as best as they could.  Private airfields were being watched as much as possible.  There was just no way Steve was letting Davidson go.  He’d been part of the reason for the rift with Danny and the SEAL was now like a dog with a bone.

Finally, in the early hours of Thursday morning, Davidson was located by Steve and Chin.  They had cornered him at the home of one of his many girlfriends.  Davidson hadn’t wanted to give up and had tried using his girlfriend as a hostage.  That had been a mistake, because Danny’s words rang through Steve’s mind; if someone else was killed because Davidson had got away it would be his fault.

Chin tried to talk him down but the moment Davidson prepared to fire his weapon, he was a dead man.  Steve was standing just out of sight and the moment Davidson moved enough for him to have a clear shot, he took it.  Double D was dead before he hit the ground.

There was no satisfaction in the death of the suspect for the SEAL, the rift between he and Danny was still there.  The words they’d both said still fresh in his mind, despite the hours that had gone by.  Only now he’d calmed down he could understand what Danny was saying.  He _had_ been overly protective recently.  In his eyes that was understandable, after everything Danny had been through but he had told Danny that he would never make the mistake of underestimating him not that long ago and wasn’t that part of what the detective’s problem was as well.

Maybe he thought that by ignoring his instructions to follow the suspect after he told him he was fine, not only was Steve fussing and being over protective but he was underestimating Danny’s ability to recover from being struck.  Steve would have done exactly the same as Danny if things had been reversed.  The SEAL felt a wave of sadness washing over him.  He really hoped that their partnership could be fixed, even more so he hoped their relationship as brothers wasn’t irreparably damaged.

There was nothing more that could be done, so he dropped Chin at home, instructed Kono to call it a night, telling them both he didn’t want to see them until lunchtime, before driving home and collapsing into bed, the weight of the evenings events weighing heavily.


	2. Chapter 2

Danny had left his car keys on his desk, along with his phone and wallet.  Too angry to return to collect them, he decided a walk to calm down would be best, so turned left out of the building and started walking.

It wasn’t long before he found himself walking towards the ocean and eventually walking by Ala Moana Beach Park.  Considering it was now gone midnight, the park was closed but he could still hear the sound of the water, which for once he actually found soothing.  Unfortunately it also reminded him of the SEAL.  Man, how had things gone so bad so quick?  His Ma always said his temper gets him in trouble; well it certainly had this time.  He totally got where Steve was coming from, now he’d calmed down.  The amount of injuries he’d sustained, plus the fact that Shane Warner was still ‘out there’ somewhere kind of made it understandable why the man was overprotective.  Yes, he was sure that if their roles were reversed he’d be a mother hen too.  Crap.  Stopping, he looked around and found that he’d actually been walking, lost in thought, for a couple of hours.  He was actually near Honolulu Zoo, right outside Kapiolani Park.  Spotting a bench he decided to sit for a while, only now realising how tired he actually was.  Small wonder given that it was 02:00 AM and he’d had a busy day.

Running his hands back over his hair, just one of the many signs that signified he was stressed or frustrated, he sighed.  What if the damage done to their partnership was too great?  Hell, forget their partnership, what if he’d irreparably damaged their relationship as brothers?  Steve, Chin and Kono were really the only people he had on this pineapple infested hellhole, apart from Grace.  If he couldn’t repair his relationship with Steve he’d lose his ohana and likely his job too.

Danny was so lost in thought that he didn’t hear the approach of the group of people until he was struck from behind.  Taken by surprise he was knocked off the bench and landed on his front.  Quickly realising that he was being attacked, he flipped over and tried to get to his feet.  The group didn’t give him a chance before they were on him, punching and kicking.  Danny was overwhelmed by the force.  It was one against four, unfair odds at the best of times but even more so when he’d been caught by surprise and was emotionally and physically exhausted.  The fighter in him was still there, though and he struck out with his own fists and feet as much as he possibly could, scratching more than one of his assailants.  Even now his thoughts were of evidence to catch these individuals with.

The detective had lost count of how many times he had been punched and kicked.  The blows that rained down were all over his body, arms, legs, torso, face… nowhere was left untouched.  Just when Danny was feeling that the pain was taking over his body and his consciousness was in question, he heard a car followed by a shout.  A last kick to his head left him reeling and then they were gone, the sound of footsteps running.

Groaning Danny tried desperately to get up, he knew he needed help.  There wasn’t a bit of his body that didn’t hurt, a voice stopped him.

“Sir, I’ve called for an ambulance, stay still,” the voice was firm but soft at the same time.

Prying open eyes that were heavily bruised, he could just make out the blurry form of a man leaning over him before he lost consciousness.

The next time he woke up it was to the sound of familiar voices, “Danny, can you hear me?”

“Jake?” the name came out slightly slurred, as well as muffled.

“Yeah Danny,” there was a slight huff of relief, “I’m just going to put a collar on you and then we’ll put you on a backboard and get you to the hospital.  Can you tell me what happened?”

“Attacked.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” replied Jake, “Do you know who did it?”

“No.  DNA.” He waved his hand slightly and Jake turned to speak to someone.

“Hey Detective Williams, it’s Officer Iona, did you scratch one of your attackers?” they’d been told by the man that had called 911 that he’d seen four people run off.

“Yeah.”

“Alright,” he turned away before coming back with something in his hand, “I don’t normally do this Detective, but I’m going to scrape under your fingernails,” the officer didn’t want the evidence compromised in the ER and the EMTs were still moving around their patient, prepping him to be moved.

“’K.”

It only took a moment and it was done, “We’ll get this straight to the crime lab.  I’m going to call Commander McGarrett and let him know what’s happened.”  
“No!” the word was as forceful as he could manage through the swelling on his face and the desire to just fall into the blackness at the edge of his vision.

“You don’t want me to call the Commander?” Officer Iona was surprised at this.

“No.  Please.”

“What about Detective Kelly or Officer Kalakaua,” he asked.

“No,” Danny was getting agitated.

“Calm down Danny, nobody is going to do anything you don’t want them to,” Jake assured, glancing at the police officer, just as surprised as he was.

“I won’t call them Detective,” agreed Officer Iona, “Can I come in the ambulance with you?” he felt that someone from the department should be there and the brusque loudmouth detective was now well liked amongst the uniformed officers, even if not by the other detectives.

“’K.”

“Alright, we’re just going to move you onto the backboard Danny,” Jake told him.  Once he was sure his patient understood, the EMTs, with the help of the two responding officers, eased him onto the board and then placed him on the gurney.

The movement caused Danny to cry out in pain before he passed out.  Jake quickly checked his vitals and exchanged worried glances with his partner.  Andy closed the doors of the ambulance, climbed in and drove off, lights and sirens blaring.

Officer Iona’s partner stayed at the scene to wait for the crime scene team, she would meet him at the hospital when she was finished.

 

 

-5-0-

 

 

Doctor Henry Jensen stretched as he walked through the ER.  They had entered a quieter part of the shift and he was enjoying a few minutes to take a break.  That changed when a gurney came through the doors with two of his favourite EMTs, an air of urgency surrounding them.

“Doctor Jensen,” Andy called when he spotted him.

“What have you got?” he asked hurrying over.

“It’s Danny Williams.  He was assaulted.  Multiple contusions, lacerations, swelling…” replied Jake.  The medical staff hurried through to their major trauma room with Jake listing injuries and vitals.

Once Danny was settled onto a bed in the ER and the two EMTs had removed their equipment, they left the room reluctantly.  Officer Iona had been ushered back into the waiting area.

Henry shone a light in Danny’s eyes and wasn’t happy with the response he was getting.  He pinched at one of his patient’s fingers and was relieved to get a reaction, albeit a less than articulate one.

“Huh?”

“Danny, its Henry, you’re in Queens ER after being assaulted.  Can you hear me?”

“Hmm.”

“I know you’re hurting Danny but I need you to try to stay with me here, OK?”

“’K.’

“Can you tell me where you hurt the most?”

It seemed for a moment like Danny wasn’t going to answer, but he was actually trying to gauge which of his body parts that were currently screaming at him was being the loudest, “Head.”

“Alright.  We need to get him down for an MRI, I want a full body scan to check for internal bleeding and any fractures…” he continued to bark out orders to the nursing staff that scurried to obey.

“Don’t… call…”

“Sorry, Danny, what was that?”

“Don’t… call… the team.”

“What?  You don’t want me to call Steve, Chin or Kono?”

“No.”

“Danny…”  
“No.”

Not understanding what was going on but not wanting to upset his patient right now, he went along with the request, “Alright, we won’t call them.  Is there anyone you’d like us to call?”

“No.”

“Very well,” Henry agreed.  He didn’t have time for this puzzle right now, as Danny was whisked off for an MRI.

When the results came back they were both good and bad.  “Danny,” Henry leaned over his patient who had lost consciousness again on the way to the MRI.  He was hoping to be able to let him know what was going on, even if he wouldn’t remember later, “Can you hear me Danny?”

“Mmm.”

“The MRI results are back, you have a subdural hematoma and we need to perform a Craniotomy to remove the clot and reduce intracranial pressure,” that was the bad news.  The good news, much to Henry’s amazement, was despite the extent of the bruising all over Danny’s body, there was no other internal bleeding or broken bones, “Do you understand Danny?”

“Mmm.”

“Danny, do you understand?” Henry wasn’t yet convinced.

“Yeah,” two eyes, barely slits, looked directly at Henry.  Despite all the pain and the fog, Danny did understand and he was scared.

“It’s going to be alright Danny,” reassured Henry.  You’re in the best possible hands with Doctor Harris, he’s our neurosurgeon.  Are you sure you don’t want me to call anyone?”

“No call,” insisted Danny.

“Alright,” one last squeeze of his patient’s shoulder and he was wheeled out of the ER.

Henry rubbed his hands over his face as he walked out of the trauma room.  Should he overrule his patient and call his emergency contact anyway?  Why would Danny refuse to let the team know where he was?  Damn it!  Danny had been lucid enough to make his wishes clear, so he really couldn’t go against him.

 

 

-5-0-

 

 

Danny woke in a haze of pain with the feeling of being unable to swallow, voices he didn’t recognise were speaking to him.  He tried desperately to open his eyes to see who it was but they refused to co-operate.  Eventually the voice penetrated the pain filled fog.

“Danny, you’re in recovery after surgery to remove a blood clot on your brain.  You’re still on a ventilator to help you breathe, just let it do the work,” a cool hand touched his forehead, “It’s OK, everything is going to be just fine.”

His eyelids were peeled back, which in itself was painful enough given that he hadn’t been capable of opening them; add to that a penlight piercing them and the pain in his skull increased tenfold.

“Alright Danny, it’s OK.  I’m done now.”

“Danny, I’m Doctor Harris,” another voice joined the first.  “I know you’re probably more than a little disorientated at the moment but we’ll try to make you as comfortable as we can.  I’m just going to remove the ventilator.  Can you manage a little cough when I ask?” A nod in response and he was removing the tube from Danny’s throat, “Cough.”

In Danny’s opinion it was the most pathetic cough in the history of man but it was enough to get the tube out of his throat.  He licked his dry lips.

“I’ve got some water here Danny,” the first voice came back, “I’m going to put a straw against your lips, just a few sips now OK.”

As soon as he felt the straw he wrapped his lips around it and drank, disappointed when it disappeared.

“You can have some more in a little while.”

“Can’t open my eyes,” Danny’s voice didn’t sound like his.  It was scratchy sounding.

“Can you remember what happened, Danny?” Doctor Harris asked.

“Fuzzy.”

“I’m sure, that’s perfectly normal.  You were attacked and received several blows to your face; the result is an inordinate amount of swelling, which includes both of your eyes.  You were very lucky, given the extent of the bruising, that you don’t have any other internal bleeding or broken bones.”

He reached up to touch his face but was prevented by a hand on his arm, “No Danny, don’t try to move or touch anything right now.  We’ve placed an Intracranial Pressure monitor and there’s a lead running from your scalp to the machine, we don’t want you pulling it out.  I’m sure this isn’t making any sense to you right now but I need you to trust me, OK?”

“’K.”

“Good.  We’re going to move you to the Neuro ICU in a few minutes,” Doctor Harris had a lot more he could tell his patient but he really didn’t think he’d take it in right now.  The main thing was to get him settled in NSICU (Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit) and let him rest while they monitored him closely.

 

 

-5-0-

 

 

Steve woke with a heavy feeling in his chest.  It wasn’t physical and it took a minute for him to remember why it was there.  When he remembered it felt like a knife to his heart all over again.  He’d argued with Danny.  Looking over at his clock he saw that it was only 06:00 AM but he figured he might as well get up.

An hour later he came back in from a run and swim but felt no better.  There was only one way to resolve this and that was to tackle it head on.  Picking up his cell he pressed the speed dial for his partner, the call went to voicemail.

“Hey Danny, I think we need to talk.  Call me when you get this.  Please.” Steve hung up the phone.  Although he’d told Chin and Kono he didn’t want to see them until lunchtime, he decided that he’d head into the office now, with nothing else to keep his mind occupied he’d go crazy.

He pulled his truck into the lot at the Palace and noticed that Danny’s car was already there.  At least that meant he might be able to corner the man in order for them to talk.  It was with an unusual amount of trepidation that he entered the 5-0 offices looking for Danny.

There was no sign of him in the office, so he decided to wait and see if perhaps he’d just gone to the men’s room but twenty minutes later he still wasn’t there.  Leaving his own office, he entered Danny’s.  The keys for the Camaro were on his desk, right next to his phone and wallet.  No way had he left the building to get something to eat then if his wallet was still here.  The cell phone screen was flashing with an icon indicating a missed call.  Going back to his own office he checked the office voicemail to make sure there wasn’t a message that might tell him of Danny’s whereabouts, there was nothing.  Where the hell was he?

The main office doors opened and Steve quickly got to his feet thinking Danny had returned.  He was somewhat disappointed to see Kono and Chin entering.

“Hey guys, I thought I told you to come in at lunchtime,” Steve remarked.

“I was up, so might as well be here,” Kono replied, the tone of her voice indicating she was still deeply affected by the previous night’s events.

“Everything alright Steve?” Chin asked concerned.

“Not really Chin, I called Danny earlier hoping to arrange to talk but he didn’t answer.  When I got here I noticed the Camaro and figured he was in the office.  His phone, keys and wallet are here but he’s not.”

“That does seem strange,” agreed Chin.

“Oh no,” Kono’s face blanched.

“What is it Cuz?”

“I didn’t even think about it when I left last night.”

“Kono, tell me what’s wrong,” insisted Steve.

“Danny’s car was still in the parking lot as I left!  I didn’t even give it a thought!  I was so tired, it didn’t even register!”

“That doesn’t mean anything Kono; he could have come back after you left.” Chin placed a calming hand on her arm.

“He was so upset when he left…” she trailed off looking guiltily at Steve.

“It’s alright Kono.  We were both upset and said things that we didn’t mean.  Perhaps he went downstairs to speak to one of the detectives.”

Although HPD was housed in another building there was a small contingent of detectives that were also based out of the Palace.  There had been occasions where someone from 5-0 had needed to go down and speak to one of them.

“I’ll go and check,” Kono offered, leaving before either man could comment.  They stood in silence waiting for her return.

“Anything?”

“No.  He hasn’t been down there.”

“What are we going to do?”

“Nothing we can do at the moment Chin.  Danny’s a grown man capable of making his own decisions.  We’ll give it another hour and if we haven’t heard anything I’ll call HPD myself and put out a BOLO.”

“Alright,” Chin agreed, knowing that they couldn’t hit the panic button just because there had been a heated argument between the first and second in command of the unit, “Any new cases come in?”

Kono spoke again, “The detectives downstairs were talking about an assault that took place in the early hours of this morning and apparently the victim was really badly beaten and sustained a serious head injury.  They said that the MO was similar to three other attacks that have taken place in the last two weeks.”

“Alright, let’s see if HPD need any assistance on that,” suggested Steve, already picking up the phone to call the HPD Captain.

“Captain Akana.”

“Captain, Steve McGarrett.”

“If you’re calling to take the case off my people McGarrett, you can forget it!” growled the Captain, not even giving Steve a chance to explain the reason for his call.

“Whoa!  You’ve lost me Captain; I don’t know what you mean.  I was calling to see if we can be of any assistance with the assault case that you’re working on.”

“You mean to tell me that under the circumstances 5-0 doesn’t want jurisdiction of it?”

“What circumstances?  Captain, I’m sorry but I don’t understand.”

“Commander, do you know who the latest victim was?” the Captain’s voice softened.

“No Sir, we only just heard about the case,” replied Steve warily.  Something told him he wasn’t going to like this.

“I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you this but Detective Williams was attacked in the early hours of this morning.  He’s currently at Queens…”

“What?  It was Danny?!”

“Yes Commander, I’m sorry.  If there’s anything I can do…”

“We need to get to the hospital.  Thank you Captain,” Steve hung up the phone and started to head out of the office.  Chin and Kono following, even though they didn’t know exactly what was going on, they knew it had to do with Danny and they needed to get to the hospital.

 

 

-5-0-

 

 

“Why didn’t anyone call us?” Kono was distraught that they hadn’t known Danny had been attacked.

“I don’t know Cuz,” replied Chin as Steve pulled the truck into a parking space and they jogged to the ER.

“I intend to find out!” Steve approached the reception desk of the ER, “I need to speak to someone about Detective Danny Williams.”

“Are you a relative?”

“I’m his boss, Commander Steve McGarrett, as well as his emergency contact.”

“Just a moment please Commander,” the receptionist picked up her phone and called someone, “Please take a seat and the doctor will be with you shortly.”

Steve nodded but didn’t take a seat.  He paced the area in front of the desk while he waited.  Nothing Chin or Kono said made him stop.

“Steve!”

“Henry!  What the hell’s going on?”

“Let’s go somewhere more private shall we?” Henry ushered the three friends down the corridor and into an office.

“Well, how’s Danny and why didn’t anyone call me to tell me he was here?”

“How did you find out?”

“It doesn’t matter how I found out Henry!” Steve raised his voice.

“Steve, you weren’t called because Danny expressly asked me not to contact anyone on the team.  I need to know how you found out, because if anyone at the hospital went against that request…”

“Captain Akana at HPD told me!” Steve immediately deflated.  Danny hadn’t wanted them here.

“Steve, I have to ask, why would Danny refuse to let me call you?”

“We had an argument; we were both pretty upset and said some things that I’m sure we both regret now.  I know I do at least,” Steve rubbed his hands over his face, “How is he?”

“I can’t tell you that,” Henry held up his hand to stop the protests, “He asked me not to call you, just because you’ve found out he’s here doesn’t mean I can tell you about his condition.  I have to respect his wishes Steve,” it was hard for him to say it to the clearly distraught team but his patient came first.

“Could you please at least speak to him?  Ask him if he’d let us see him or let you tell us what his condition is?  Please Henry.”

“OK, I’ll see what I can do.  Wait here.”

 

 

-5-0-

 

 

“How is he?” Henry asked Doctor Harris as he entered the NSICU.

“He’s been in and out of consciousness since surgery.  The last time he regained consciousness he was coherent and seemed to understand where he was and what had happened, at least to some degree.”

“Would you mind if I spoke to him?”

Doctor Harris appraised his colleague with a raised eyebrow, “I don’t see why not.  He might even respond to you better as he knows you.”

“Thanks,” Henry smiled and walked to Danny’s room, sliding the door open.  It didn’t matter that he’d already seen this man he now considered a friend down in the ER, the sight of his bruised and battered body still caused him to pause.  Approaching the bed he spoke to the nurse in the room, “Hello Doris, Doctor Harris said I can speak to him.”

“Go right ahead Doctor Jensen, just speak to him before you touch him, he’s a might skittish since his eyes are swollen so bad he can’t open them without assistance.”

“Thanks for the heads up,” he smiled gratefully as he stood next to the bed, “Danny?”

Danny had heard the door slide open and Henry speak to the nurse so knew who was in the room, “Henry.”

The doctor gently lay his hand on his friend’s arm, “How are you feeling?”

“Tired.”

“Are you in any pain?”

“No.”

“That’s good at least.”

“He hasn’t long had a dose of pain meds,” Doris supplied from across the bed where she was checking the monitors he was attached to.

“I need to ask you something Danny, but I need you to remain calm otherwise Nurse Doris here will kick my butt!” he grinned over at the nurse.

“Damn right.  Don’t you be upsetting my patient now Doctor Jensen!”

“OK,” there was a hint of worry in his voice.

“You asked me earlier not to call your team and I didn’t,” he hastily explains, “However, the Captain at HPD told Steve when he called him about a case.”

“They’re here aren’t they?”

“Yes, they’re in my office.  I told them you requested that I not call them and I couldn’t tell them about your condition unless I had your permission to do so.  I also need to ask you what you want done in regards to informing your ex-wife and daughter,” that had only just popped into his head and he was kicking himself for not thinking of it sooner.  There was silence and Henry felt he could give a small push without upsetting Danny, as he’d taken the news his team was at the hospital better than he’d thought he would, “Look Danny, Steve told me that you had an argument, said that you both said some things that you may both regret, but he made it clear he definitely does.”

“He should be angry,” Danny replied his voice quiet.

“Well he isn’t.  The overriding concern here is you and how you’re doing.  He’d like to see you but would settle for knowing your condition, if that’s all you’re willing to give him right now.”

“OK.”

“Danny I need you to be clear about what you want, please.”

“They can visit.  I’d like to talk to them about speaking to Rachel and Grace anyway.”

“Alright, I’ll let them know.  It’ll be a little while, so try to get some rest in the meantime.”

“OK and Henry?”

“Yes Danny.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

 

 

-5-0-

 

 

“Do you think he’ll agree to see us?” Kono asked anxiously.

“I don’t know.  He was pretty upset,” pointed out Steve.

“So were you but as soon as you heard the only thing you could think about was getting here,” Chin stated calmly.

“He’s my brother and even brother’s fight, right?”

“Yeah Steve, even brother’s fight.”

The three settled into an uncomfortable silence which was only broken when Henry returned to the room.

“Alright, he’s agreed you can visit,” there was a palpable change in the atmosphere of the room, “Before you do, let me tell you about his injuries.  Danny sustained bruises and lacerations all over his body.  When I say all over, I mean all over.  None of the lacerations are serious; most didn’t even need anything but a clean.  I will tell you he’s damn lucky to not have had any internal bleeding or broken bones.”

“One of the detectives I spoke to earlier said something about a serious head injury.”

“I was just getting to that.  Several blows to his head caused a subdural hematoma, it was large enough to be of concern and a Craniotomy was performed by our top neurosurgeon, Doctor Harris.”

“Craniotomy?”

“Yes, Doctor Harris had to cut Danny’s scalp and then remove a section of his skull, also called a bone flap, to enable him to access where the hematoma, or blood clot, was located.  Once that was done he replaced the bone flap using plates and screws.  There’s a small hole that has been left, as Doctor Harris felt it prudent to put a monitor in to keep an eye on the intracranial pressure."

“Is he going to be alright?”

“Doctor Harris was very happy with the procedure but he’s being closely monitored in the Neuro ICU.  He’s being given medication for pain and nausea, as well as steroids to help with any remaining swelling.  Once Doctor Harris is satisfied that the intracranial pressure is sufficiently decreased, he’ll remove the monitor and Danny will be transferred to a regular room.”

“How long will he be in for?”

“It could be up to two weeks depending on how he responds to treatment.  The staples will be removed in ten days.”

“And when he’s ready to be discharged?” Steve needed to know all the details before seeing Danny, in case he asked any questions.

“There’s restrictions.”

“Such as?”

“He won’t be allowed to drive or sit for long periods of time.  No lifting anything heavier than five pounds.  No housework or yard work until after he’s had his first follow up appointment with Doctor Harris, which includes things as simple as loading or unloading a dishwasher.  He won’t be allowed to drink alcohol.  He’ll be tired but will need to be encouraged to gradually increase to normal activities.  Walking is good, obviously starting out with short walks and increasing them over a period of time.  A full recovery could take up to eight weeks but he should be improved enough after four.”

“That’s a lot of information to take in!” Chin was trying to remember everything they’d been told.

“Don’t worry, it will all be repeated before he’s discharged.  The main thing is he mustn’t over do it.”

“What are the risks from this?”

“The things he’s most at risk from now are stroke; seizures; swelling.  The fact that he’s already conscious and talking rules out any brain damage and his nurse hasn’t reported any signs of muscle paralysis or weakness.”  Henry gave them a few minutes to take in everything that he told them before speaking again, “You should also know that Danny can’t currently open his eyes due to the swelling he sustained to his face.  It’s possible that he could suffer some psychological issues from this as well, given the severity of the attack.”

“Can we see him, please?” begged Kono.  His condition had sounded so dire that she felt the only way she would feel any better was to actually see for herself that Danny was still with them.

“Of course, come on I’ll take you up,” the three followed him out to the elevators.  As they waited for it to arrive at the correct floor he told them what Nurse Doris had told him, “Talk to him before you touch him, because he can’t see you right now he needs to be told that you’re there.”

Henry showed them into the NSICU and introduced them to Doctor Harris before taking them to Danny’s room and introducing them to Nurse Doris. 

“Don’t over excite him please,” Doris said from her place in the door and then she stepped aside to allow them to enter the room.

There was a brief pause as they took in the sight of Danny.  His head was wrapped in a turban like bandage with bruises covering his face, arms and chest and that was just the bruises they could see.  The bed had various monitors for his heart rate, blood pressure, intracranial pressure and O2.  A nasal cannula sat under his nose giving him additional oxygen and an IV was providing essential fluids and medicine.  A catheter ran out from under the sheet covering him leading to a bag so that his urine output could be monitored.  Steve winced at that; out of everything he knew that would cause Danny the most embarrassment.

The head of 5-0 was the first to approach the bed, “Danny, are you awake?” he asked softly, not wanting to disturb him if he was getting much needed rest.

“Yeah,” the answer was short but Steve was glad that at least he wasn’t being ignored.

“How you feeling?” Chin asked as he approached as well.

“Like I took a beating.”

“We’d have been here sooner Danny, but we didn’t know…” Kono trailed off remembering that Danny hadn’t wanted them to know.

“’S OK.  My fault.”

“No, no Danny it wasn’t your fault,” Steve said, his voice hitching slightly, “If we hadn’t argued… but now’s not the time to discuss that.  You need to concentrate on getting better.”

Chin nodded in approval, the two men would need to speak about what happened but now was definitely not the time.  Of course they hadn’t bargained on Danny’s stubborn streak appearing at that moment.

“’M sorry for what I said Steve.  Not your fault.”

“Hey,” the SEAL lay a hand gently over Danny’s, the one without the IV, “We can talk about it when you’re better, but for what it’s worth I’m sorry too.  I would _never_ leave you to die, you have to know that.”

Danny turned his hand over underneath Steve’s, “I know that,” he gave the hand in his a squeeze, well as much of one as he could manage given he was still as weak as a kitten, “For the record Danny, he’s dead.”

“He is?”

“Yup, Steve shot him.”

“You did?”

“I did.”

“Had cause though?”

Oh yeah, Danny was going to be fine if he was worrying about Steve sticking to procedure, despite the fact he was lying in a hospital bed barely able to string a sentence together.

“Yeah Danny, he had cause,” Chin chuckled and put his hand very gently on Danny’s shoulder.

“Good.”

Steve felt a tremor run through Danny as he continued to hold his hand.  He turned to the nurse, “He’s trembling.”

“Danny?” Doris asked.

“Cold.”

“Alright, I’ll get you an extra blanket.  I think you need to get some rest now,” she looked pointedly at his visitors.

“I’m not going anywhere,” at her glare Steve continued, “I will sit here quietly, but I’m not leaving him.”

“Stubborn,” mumbled Danny.

“Pot calling the kettle black again!  Rest, I’ll be here when you wake up,” ordered Steve gently.

“Rachel!  Grace!” Danny suddenly spoke louder as he recalled what he needed to ask the team to do.

“We’ll go by the house and speak to Rachel brah, don’t worry about it,” Chin told him.

“Don’t want…” he trailed off too tired to string the thought into a sentence.

“You don’t want Grace to visit right now?” Steve could still read Danny like a book where his daughter was concerned.

“No.”

“Alright, I’ll tell Rachel.”  Both Kono and Chin said goodbye and instructed Steve to call them if there was any change or either man needed anything.

 

 

-5-0-

 

 

The next day Doctor Harris was very happy that the intracranial pressure had stabilised and removed the monitor allowing Danny to be moved into a regular room.  He was still tired and could only remain awake for up to an hour before he needed to rest again but it was a great relief that he wouldn’t be likely to require more surgery.

Steve had only gone home to get some rest after Danny had been moved to a regular room and had insisted that the stubborn SEAL needed to get some sleep in a bed as opposed to an uncomfortable hospital chair.  Not wanting to push his blood pressure up when they’d just got him off some of the monitors, he reluctantly agreed.

That evening when Steve arrived back at the hospital Danny had some additional visitors in the form of Officers Ani Kale and Kai Kealoha, they were talking to Chin and Kono as Danny slept.

“Hey,” Steve greeted quietly as he entered the room, “How’s the patient?”

“Doctor Harris is pleased with his progress so far,” replied Chin equally as quietly, “Ani and Kai dropped by to give us an update on the search for his attackers.”

“Did you get ‘em?” asked a sleepy voice from the bed.

Kai moved over to stand next to Danny, “Yeah man, we did.  Thanks to you.”

“What I do?”

“Can you remember what happened?” Ani prompted gently, they’d been told to take his statement if he was up to it.

“Not as clearly as I’d like.”

“If you’re not up to talking about this right now, you don’t have to,” Steve chimed in.

“It’s OK Steve,” he tried to smile but his face was still too swollen so he settled on reaching a hand out, which the SEAL took as he carefully sat down on the edge of the bed, “I’d walked from the office and ended up at Kapiolani Park.”

“That’s quite a walk,” commented Kai.

“Yeah, I was kind of lost in my own world,” responded Danny not prepared to tell Kai and Ani why.  He was hoping to keep this within the 5-0 family, no doubt there’d be rumours but he wasn’t going to fuel the fires.

“Alright go on.”

“When I realised how far I’d walked I decided to sit on a bench and take a break.  I guess I was still lost in thought, because the first I knew that there was anyone else even around was when I was struck from behind,” he paused and drew in a breath to compose himself.  There were so many things wrong with that sentence considering he was a seasoned detective.

“Take your time Danny.”

“I don’t really remember much about the attack or afterwards to be honest.  I can remember trying to fight people off but there were too many hands and feet.  Then I heard a man’s voice call out and they were gone.”

“You don’t remember scratching any of them and telling Officer Iona that you had DNA under your nails?”

“Huh?  No.”

“Well Danny you did and that’s how we caught two of them,” Kai told him.  “There was a mixture of their epithelials under your nails.  They were in the database because they had been convicted of a previous assault and battery, but nowhere near this level of violence.”

“We brought them in and questioned them.  It wasn’t long before they gave up the names of the other two and we arrested them as well.  They claim they didn’t know you were a police officer,” Ani continued.

“They probably didn’t, not like I identified myself.”

“That may be the case but they would have seen your badge, you were still wearing it Danny.”

“Do you know why?” he needed to know.  Of course it could have been that he was just unlucky but there was something about the viciousness of the assault that made him question that.

Kai and Ani exchanged looks.  This was something they didn’t really want to have to tell him; in fact they were having trouble wrapping their heads around it themselves.  Steve noticed and raised an eyebrow at them.  The pair looked uncomfortable.

“Ani, Kai?” Danny could hear they were still in the room but of course he couldn’t see them, “Why don’t you want to tell me?”

“It’s not that we don’t want to… well OK, yeah it is, but we don’t want to upset you,” Kai admitted.  He had a lot of respect for Danny, too much to lie to him now.

“Tell me,” he stated his tone brooking no argument.

Kai looked at Steve once more and when he received a nod he took a deep breath and told them, “All four are native Hawaiians and agreed that people they see as foreigners shouldn’t be allowed on the islands.  They decided to do something about it and started targeting tourists and other people they deemed non-native.  There were four attacks in the last two weeks, including yours, that we knew about but since they’ve been arrested we’ve discovered others that were reported as muggings, in total they’re responsible for ten targeted attacks.”

“They’re xenophobic,” Danny stated flatly.

“What?” Kono asked.

“They have an abnormal fear or hatred of foreigners.  It’s different from racism because it’s not based solely on ethnicity or race,” Steve replied.  He knew people that had experienced it during his time in the Navy and had hoped it was something that would never occur here.

“I was targeted because I’m not Hawaiian.  I could have been black, orange, pink, it wouldn’t have mattered, all that mattered to them was that I wasn’t a native.”

“That’s just screwed up!” growled Kono, angry that one of her older brother’s had been injured so badly because of such a narrow viewpoint.

“That’s life kiddo,” murmured Danny.

“They’re lucky HPD caught them,” Steve stated.  If it had been him then it was possible that none of the men would have made it into custody, especially knowing how close they’d come to losing Danny.

“Well, not so much,” Kai grinned.

“What do you mean?” asked Chin suspiciously.

“Well it’s possible that they might have tripped or hit their heads getting into the cars, that kind of thing.”

“Kai!” admonished Danny; the kid really had been spending too much time with 5-0.

“Nothing to do with us,” Ani told them, “The actual arrests were made by a couple of the more senior officers on the force and who are we to argue with our superiors?”

“I’ll have to get their names from you,” Steve said seriously, then broke out into a grin, “I want to buy them a drink!”

If Danny could have rolled his eyes at Steve he would have, instead he settled for his usual rebuke, “Steven!”

That made them all chuckle.  Things weren’t fully resolved between the two men but there was an ease in their dealings with each other again which had been missing the night of the argument.  They would need to talk but there was time enough for that when Danny was stronger and he was out of the hospital.  For now Steve was happy to be there for him and Danny was happy to have him there.

 


End file.
